Decisive Moments in History: Twelve Historical Miniatures (STUDIES IN AUSTRIAN LITERATURE, CULTURE, AND THOUGHT TRANSLATION SERIES)

Absolutely fascinating!!!! A brilliant work. One of the moments he talks about is a man called John August Sutter, who bought land in San Francisco and the area adjoining, and farmed it prior to the Gold Rush. When the Gold Rush arrived men had no qualms about shooting the farmers, and terrified, they all fled the land!!!!After twenty years, he sued for restoration of his lands.On the steps of Congress Hall on the 17th July 1880 he finally had a heart attack and died - a dead beggar with a treatise in his pocket which according to law he could claim the greatest fortune in the history of the World!!!!The other eleven moments in History are equally amazing - A GREAT WRITER!!!!

Zweig writes, without ever being verbose, about twelve events he finds momentous. The translation is superb. The events tend to be centered around central Europe, or Europeans, which is why I wrote "not universal." In any case, who could definitively select the twelve most important moments ever? The description of the people involved is searching and severe when needed, and the motivation for choosing them usually convincing; these people had "big lives" and Zweig has a passion for his fellow humans. The book is often a page-turner, and the reader is rapidly exposed to a wide range of experiences. I enjoyed every story.

Each of these historical miniatures is a gem in its own right. Some tell of those who failed miserably when thrust by chance or choice on the world stage while others tell of those who seized the moment and succeeded in their life quest, sometimes going far beyond what even they had envisioned for themselves. This is my introduction to Zweig and I'll go from this to his history of Marie Antoinette.

I think the title is not right. These were not decisive moments. A couple of chapters were interesting (the ones on Handel, on Constantinople and on Napoleon). Some of the other chapters were clearly not decisive moments in history. Nor were they presented in a consistent fashion--either as decisions or as critical moments. Somewhat disappointing since I started with high expectations.

Amazing book and very good quality the book that I received. A steal really.

I liked re-learning what I learned in high school, but Zweig presents the facts with flair & in a way that’s memorable vs school text books.

Stefan Zweig is a very interesting historical writer and this book had me entertained with each special moment.

Enjoyable, provider of historical insights, well written, a treasure to keep reading again and again. I bought a paper version for my grand daughter as an introduction to history.